122053 PS PS Linguistics (2018S)

This course provides an introduction to (different conceptions of) what constitutes meaning and how we can systematically analyze the meanings of words, sentences, and texts. We will learn how we can account for the meanings of individual words and how they are related to and defined by the meanings of other words in the lexicon (i.e. native speaker’s store of words). For instance, we will explore why a high mountain is not the same as a high person, why a tall building is taller than the tallest guy and why we may say Warpaint is an all-girl quartet but not Coldplay is an all-boy quartet. Further, we will explore why a heart can (even though it cannot) melt, burn, break and burst and why a robin is a better bird than an ostrich. We will also look at what distinguishes the meaning of individual words from the meaning of whole sentences and how grammatical elements such as tense contribute to sentence meaning. You will be provided with a conceptual framework for theoretically explicating and practically analyzing meaning and learn how you plan and implement your own research projects by methodically analyzing authentic language data.
Aims:
- to become aware of and be able to apply theoretical tools for semantic analysis
- to become familiar with some of the critical issues in English semantics
- to critically analyze and reflect on scientific papers in the field
- to find relevant literature on a specific topic/question
- to become capable of carrying out independent research and writing academic papers
Methods:
lecturer input, reading, discussions, peer-group interaction, in-class and online exercises, autonomous research.